A/N: There is violence and swearing and mature content. Enjoy!
No usual cold, biting wind greeted Mungojerrie as he and the other six toms stepped outside the hideout. The moon hid her pearly, shining face with a cloak of shadows. As the dark clouds made their journey across the velvety night sky, it was as if they too, were protecting the twinkling stars from witnessing the horrible felony about to be committed by these toms. Mother Nature seemed keen to hide her children, the wind, moon and stars, on this ominous night.
A tense silence hung over the seven toms as they made their way down the scarcely lit street. Each was preparing his mind for the mission ahead, eager but nervous about taking another cat's life and getting revenge. Ending lives was part of the job, but that didn't mean it got easier every time. This was also a time for idle chit-chat and talk of battle plans as well. It helped ease the stress. It was the last time they would walk as a group until dawn, anyway. That is, if you lived long enough to see the sun rise again.
'Jerrie heard the couple of toms ahead of him chatting quietly amongst themselves. He didn't bother to listen in as his mind was elsewhere. He unconsciously fingered his lips, pondering about Rumpleteazer's kiss. Now, 'Jerrie wasn't the type to dwell on romantic issues. The calico tom usually forgot about that sort of stuff the day after it happened and never thought of it again. For some reason this was different. The sensation, the meaning, the memory, they all kept flashing before his eyes. It wasn't annoying yet, but it made him think. 'Teazer, without a doubt, had feelings for him. That he knew for a while now. The question was did he see her in the same light?
"CC...CC, you home?"The brown tabby in front of him asked, waving a paw in front of his comrade's face.
The tiger-striped tom started, reluctantly pulled out of his reverie. "Whot?"He responded, sounding slightly dumb. How long had they been trying to talk to him while he was off in his own little world?
"I said, how's training with Rumpleteazer going? Since you two are obviously back together, it must be that much more fun, huh?"The tabby smirked, elbowing 'Jerrie knowingly while his buddy in front of him chuckled.
'Jerrie rolled his eyes. "Ya two ah' such queens. Who tha' 'ell cares 'bout 'er at a toime loike this? Ya don' even know 'er!"He spat, clearly irritated. The remark was a little offensive to 'Teazer, of course, but it had a point. Thinking about romance clouds the mind. 'Jerrie needed his mind focused and clear. In a sense, he was grateful his two comrades brought him back to the situation at hand, even if it was with a comment he would have rather not heard.
The brown tabby cocked his head at 'Jerrie's annoyed answer. He took his tone to mean something different. "Wait, so you aren't back together with her? 'Cause that's what it sounds like to me. Trouble in bed, 'Jerrie?"He laughed tauntingly.
Before the calico tom could retort to that, the black-patched tom in front of the tabby cut in. "If she's not experienced enough for you, I'll be glad to take her. I could use some fresh action, anyway. Not many virgins come around here..."The tom trailed off, a bit disappointed.
A deadly glint entered 'Jerrie's eye, but it went unnoticed by the other two. "Whot'd ya jus' say?"The tiger-striped tom said, his voice matching his stony expression. He gave nothing away of the fact that he had just snapped.
"Uhh...Not many virgins come around here?"The patched tom repeated, not catching on.
'Jerrie shook his head. "No, no. Befo' tha'."
"...I'll be glad to take her?"His comrade reiterated after a short pause.
The calico tom's ears folded back against his head. "Yes, tha'. Touch Rumpleteazh an' Oi'll be sure ta 'unt ya down an' kill ya."He hissed in an eerily pleasant manner.
The black and white tom didn't seem fazed as he gave 'Jerrie a small smirk. He knew he just struck a tender spot. It was quite obvious that he was about to push 'Jerrie over the edge. One more comment like that should do it. "Well someone's going to deflower that feisty little bitch eventually, 'Jerrie. It's clearly not going to be you, so I might as well succeed where you have failed!"He jeered, full-well knowing what he was getting himself into.
"Ya jus' crossed tha loine, buddey."'Jerrie said darkly as he stepped out of line and strode forward to his comrade. He roughly grabbed the patched tom's shoulder and hurled him onto the ground. Before the tom could get up, 'Jerrie had him pinned with his knee and free arm while he proceeded to punch his comrade as hard as he could in the face.
The black-patched tom swore and tried to defend himself, but only managed to get a couple hits on 'Jerrie. 'Jerrie, on the other paw, cursed and spat as he took his anger out on the black and white tom.
SD, the leader, noticed some commotion at the back of the line. Glancing over his shoulder, he rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly at the two brawling toms. "Now, of all times, they decide to fight? You have got to be kidding me!"He exclaimed in his head as he held up a paw and stopped walking. "Alright, break it up. That's enough, you two ninnies."He said in monotone as he walked calmly over to the scene. When they didn't stop, the black tom grabbed each tom by the scruff of his neck so they were forced to stand. He gave them both a well-deserved punch across the jaw. 'Jerrie was sent reeling backwards by the impact and the patched tom hissed and hunched over in pain.
"I said that's enough! Next time I'll shove a shuriken down your throat! Do I make myself clear?"SD boomed as 'Jerrie and his victim came to stand in front of him like two guilty kittens.
"Yes Sah."'Jerrie muttered as he spat out a bit of blood and walked back to his place in line.
"Yessir."The black and white tom slurred quietly and also got back in line. It was all he could manage because the calico tom practically dislocated his jaw.
SD gave them both stern glares as he gave the signal to start walking again. No one really spoke after that since they didn't want to provoke either tom again. When it came time to split up, SD halted the march and pointed two fingers to his left. The two toms behind him darted off in that direction without a sound. He pointed three fingers to his right. The next three toms slunk down the alley to which he indicated, getting their bows strung and an arrow nocked in a matter of seconds. That just left him and 'Jerrie. The black tom strode forward and his charge followed as he kept his head and ears on a swivel for any signs of danger. 'Jerrie took one of his throwing knifes out of its pocket and held it at the ready.
His leader quickly spotted a ladder that went up to the roof of one of the buildings that towered above them. Pointing up, he started climbing while 'Jerrie watched for any enemies. Peeking around the corner of the old, brick building, he couldn't see anyone down either alley. Convinced that the coast was clear, he climbed up the rusted ladder as well. Once he got to the top, 'Jerrie smiled approvingly as the bodies of two dead toms lay at SD's feet. He had killed the sentries without a sound and was now looting one of the corpses for anything useful.
SD looked up and smirked as he noticed the calico tom admiring his handiwork. He held up a bloody throwing knife, indicating that was his weapon of choice. The black tom gestured to the second body; 'Jerrie took the hint immediately and searched it for valuables. He took the few arrows out of the dead tom's quiver and added them to his own. He took note of a bag of coins on the otherwise bare belt around his waist, but decided against taking it. However valuable, it wasn't worth the noise. 'Jerrie and his commander got into a low crouch and scanned the other rooftops for sentries.
There were a couple on each building, but fortunately there weren't many buildings in this port. Just a few neglected, shabby-looking storage and processing stations right on the docks. Past these, the docks were open space and you could easily see the Thames. 'Jerrie decided it would be a wise idea to stay within the narrow alleys or on the roofs. He also discovered that Deckem wasn't very big. There weren't too many places to hide, so this would be an easy picking. It was obvious who was who because anyone that belonged to the Thames Barracudas had the insignia of the drug ring branded on both shoulders. They wanted cats to know who they were and they were not afraid to show it. 'Jerrie silently strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the closest sentry. Drawing the bowstring back, he released it with its soft twang and watched it embed itself in the sentry's neck. The tom fell to his knees without as much as a gasp. Before his partner could yell for help, SD had shot another arrow and silenced him as well.
Smirking with satisfaction, they took care of the other sentries in much the same fashion. Within minutes, all of them were dead. Just as the last sentry fell, 'Jerrie heard a shriek from almost directly below them. Both toms froze, thinking they had been caught. But after a few minutes, everything was still. No one came up the ladder or called out. 'Jerrie slowly let out the breath he had been holding, but cringed as another scream resounded in his ears. It was followed by muffled whimpering. Daring a glance over the edge, he quickly retreated with a shudder.
His leader raised a questioning eyebrow at him, which was pretty much invisible in the darkness. The calico tom aimed a throwing knife over the edge of the building. A bow and arrow would be too conspicuous. He peeked down in the alley again to see the same sight: a tom was raping a queen, and it made 'Jerrie's blood boil. He didn't want to kill the queen, so he threw the knife with deadly accuracy at the tom's head. It hit its mark and the now limp tom fell on the queen. She struggled to get out from under him, and that's when SD tapped 'Jerrie's shoulder. He made the sign for kill by sliding a finger across his throat, pretending to slit it, and then motioned his head towards the queen below them.
The tiger-striped tom hesitated. His commander wanted that queen dead. She was now a witness to them and they couldn't risk her warning the others. But...when 'Jerrie looked at that suffering queen he couldn't help but be reminded of 'Teazer. He had saved her in the exact same situation. He couldn't bring himself to throw the blade. SD got impatient with 'Jerrie's moral dilemma and yanked the knife out of his paw. Before he could stop him, the black tom hurled the weapon at the queen and her whimpering suddenly ceased. 'Jerrie winced as he felt his heart sink. He didn't need to look down to know that the poor queen was dead, most likely with a knife protruding from her neck.
The night wore on as the two toms made their way towards the docks. 'Jerrie had lost count of how many cats they had murdered, but there were still quite a few working around the water. It was easier to kill them, but it would be more obvious. They could be spotted with ease by anyone if a cat just suddenly dropped dead. It was time to play mind games.
They were practically on the water, so if a cat made a miscalculation in the darkness, he or she could fall into the river, just like that. Accidents were bound to happen here, for sure. The narrow, slippery docks with boards missing here and there were the perfect recipe for a drowned cat or two. SD noticed a cat walking by below them, quite close to the water. He flung a shuriken at the cat's foot, and judging by the yowl that quickly followed, it had hit its target. 'Jerrie looked over the edge just in time to see the feline tumble into the freezing water below. It was a watery grave for that unlucky fellow. In order to avoid suspicion and capture, the two assassins waited about half an hour to an hour between each strike. They had killed five toms on the docks by the time the sky started lightening in the East. It was only then that 'Jerrie realized how exhausted he was. If SD hadn't perked him up with a sharp elbow to the ribs every five minutes, he would have fallen asleep in enemy territory.
After what felt like hours of walking, they finally saw the welcoming sight of the run-down warehouse that was the hideout. The sun was visible on the horizon by now, but 'Jerrie was too tired to admire it. He shuffled into the barracks and set his bow and quiver on the floor before promptly crashing on his bed without bothering to take his belt off. There was no better sleep than that after an "honest" day's work.
Rumpleteazer awoke around mid-morning to find 'Jerrie fast asleep on his bed. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief at the sight of the calico tom because she had been fretting about him all night. Her brow furrowed, however, when she noticed the discomforted look on 'Jerrie's face as he slept. It was no doubt because of the belt that was still fastened around his waist. 'Teazer slipped quietly out of bed and over to the tiger-striped tom. She knelt down beside him and tried to take the belt off so he could sleep better, but that was easier said than done.
As soon as she pressed on his abdomen to loosen the buckle, his paw whipped out and grabbed her wrist. 'Teazer froze, surprised by 'Jerrie's impeccable reaction time, even if he was sleeping. She waited for him to let go, and after a few minutes his paw dropped back onto the feeble excuse of a mattress. The calico queen then proceeded to slip the belt out from under him while being careful not to prick herself on the exposed shuriken. She could see the dried beads of blood where they had already done some damage to 'Jerrie beforehand. Setting the dangerous article on the floor, she draped the blanket over the tiger-striped tom and went to go catch breakfast.
The day was quite boring with 'Jerrie asleep. While 'Teazer's friends were all training, she had absoloutely nothing to do. She meandered back into the barracks and sat down on the floor beside her sleeping instructor again. The sunlight glinted off the metal parts of the weapons on 'Jerrie's belt, producing a sharp glare. This gave the calico queen an idea. She removed a shuriken from its pocket and inspected it. It was small, black, star-shaped, and slightly rusted at the tips. She had never seen this strange type of weapon before. Did you throw it? Stab cats with it? It looked too small to be as effective as a dagger. So then, you must throw it, 'Teazer decided. It was awkward to hold, as she soon discovered. If you held it at the tip, you could hurt yourself. If you held it at the middle, you couldn't grasp it quite right. The puny little thing surely could not kill a cat! What was the point of it, then? 'Teazer thought it was about as useful as a sharpened fork.
Nevertheless, she tried it out anyway. Searching around for a target, she figured one of the unused mattresses would do. Chucking the shuriken like you would a Frisbee; she found these things were pretty darn accurate. They weighed almost nothing. She played around with them, using different methods of throwing and soon the mattress was pockmarked with tiny holes. 'Teazer pricked herself a few times, but she didn't mind. She was too preoccupied with trying to master this new weapon.
As she threw the little black star yet again, the calico queen started as a voice sounded from beside her. "Be careful with tha', its sha'p."'Jerrie warned teasingly. The shuriken went off course and skidded across the floor as a result. 'Teazer glared accusingly at the now awake tom as he yawned and stretched, looking completely innocent.
"'Ow did tha mission go last noight? Did ya kill evreyone?"The calico queen asked casually as she went to retrieve the weapon.
'Jerrie shrugged. "No...It moight take a bit 'cause we don' wont them suspectin' tha' somethin's up. Oi see ya've taken quoite noiceley ta shuriken. Whot do ya think o' them?"He said as he sat up.
'Teazer gave the weapon in her paw a surprised look, like it had spoken instead of 'Jerrie. "Is tha' whot these ah' cawlled? They don' seem verey useful...Realleh more annoyin' than deadley."She remarked with pursed lips. She bent down to put the shuriken back into its rightful pocket.
"Tha's tha point. It's not meant ta kill, it's meant ta distract."The tiger-striped tom chuckled at his student's ignorance.
"Oh. Well in tha' case, Oi loike 'em. They kept moi busy fo' a good whoile. Ah' ya 'ungry?"The calico queen offered, since she was getting hunger pangs herself. It must have been around late afternoon by now.
'Jerrie nodded and 'Teazer went off to go hunt some mice. After a few minutes, she came back with two and handed one to 'Jerrie. He devoured it like he hadn't eaten in days. They spent the remainder of the afternoon in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company. When the sky started to turn pink, the calico tom fastened the belt around his waist and the quiver and bow across his back and headed off, but not before giving 'Teazer an affectionate nuzzle.
The next couple days went by in much the same way. While 'Jerrie slept the day away, 'Teazer would practice with his weapons. Sometimes she would curl up beside him and cat nap for an hour or so, then go catch dinner for the both of them. It was quite obvious this mission was taking its toll on 'Jerrie. He appeared to grow solemner and quieter as the mission wore on. His appetite changed for the worse. He didn't eat nearly enough as he should, and the charismatic glint faded from his emerald eyes. 'Teazer tried to talk to him about his changing behavior, but the calico tom refused to utter a word about the subject. She realized he was slowly transforming into the heartless henchcat Macavity always strived to create, certainly because of the constant murders he was committing every night. 'Jerrie was turning into the perfect, ruthless killing machine. In a sadistic sense, practice made perfect.
Four days in, 'Teazer started to look at him with pity instead of love and admiration. He grew slightly thinner and his fur became more unkempt than usual. If anything, he could be classified as "mangy". 'Jerrie frequently muttered about how there were too many eneimies, and that when he killed one there always seemed to be two or three more replacements the following night. He described them as a "plague" and that the mission was beginning to become futile. When she asked if he could take a break or address Macavity about this, the calico tom laughed mirthlessly and replied, "Loike 'ell Oi will. Tha'd be committin' suicoide boiy backin' out an' refusin' ordahs! Oi don' know 'bout ya, but Oi don' wonna die at age twenteh-one."
"But ya're workin' yaself inta tha ground, 'Jerrie! Whot's more impo'tant? Ya 'ealth o' ya ordahs?"'Teazer cried out, letting her true worry and concern for him colour her voice.
The tiger-striped tom hesitated as he shot a dark glare at her. 'Teazer shrunk back at the look in his deep, now dulled, green eyes. She had never seen that wild, murderous anger in them before. "Oi'm not a weak, troublesome, incompetent queen o' a tom, Rumpleteazah! Unloike some o' us, Oi'm tough enough ta take a lil' pain!"He yelled aggravatedly with venom dripping from every word.
His flare of temper immediately disappeared as he saw tears spring to calico queen's eyes. "Wait, 'Teazah Oi-"Before he could take back what he said, she was already gone. The sweet queen was just trying to look out for him, help him, and he lashed out, cutting her to the quick instead. He felt the gut-wrenching emotions of sorrow, regret and remorse as he realized it was sunset and it was too late to apologize. 'Jerrie would have to do that when he came back tomorrow, if he didn't get killed before then. He put the belt, bow and quiver on and went to meet up with his other six comrades with a heavy heart and a saddened mind. As he walked out the door, he swore he heard muffled crying from nearby, but he didn't have the nerve to glance down the hall and see 'Teazer crying her heart out.